The effect of superhydrophobic coating composition on the topography and ice adhesion

Ice accumulation on solid surfaces adversely affects many applications. Among diverse surface modification methods to reduce ice adhesion strength, superhydrophobic (SHP) have been considered due their non-wetting characteristics, which minimize the solid-liquid interface, reducing actual solid-ice contact area. In this work, shear strength required for removal was studied a series of thermoplastic-based SHP coatings with wide particle content range. It found that plays complex role in coating, changes locus failure removal. The presence cracks at higher loading (above 40 wt%) significantly changed behavior increasing stress This attributed anchoring effect caused by crack formation and penetration freezing water into cracks. To ice-SHP coating interface adhesion, should be eliminated incorporating lowest possible NPs content, preserving Cassie-Baxter wettability state. case PU nanocomposite 35 wt% silica demonstrate optimal result very low adhesion. As is common phenomenon high coatings, composition optimized each material system minimized appropriate energetics.